Thankful. Appreciative. Grateful. Indebted. It’s that time of year when these buzz words become increasingly popular as people begin to reflect on what they are grateful for. Traditional answers might include such things as my family, friends, my education, etc. These are great answers but they only scratch the surface of what you should also be grateful for; something that is very easy for both you and I to overlook.

Here are some things you also might be grateful for, I know I am. This week I am grateful for having a roof over my head, and food to eat – regardless of being a college student, I have money to spend to go out for dinner or grab a cup of coffee with a friend. As I mentioned last week, I do not know what war is like nor have I ever feared for the safety of my life, both of which I am thankful of. I am thankful for the opportunity to attend college and take classes. For the fact I am not required to work full-time while going to school because I have the ability to take out a loan to cover my tuition. And how about the fact that I am able to write this article, at least somewhat articulately, and you are able to read this article? For that, I am grateful. I am thankful that I have running water to take a hot shower, and wash my dishes. I appreciate that I can criticize my government without fear of prosecution. I am grateful that I am allowed to choose what religion I wish to practice or to refrain from religion altogether.

The list goes on and on. I could fill this entire edition of the Lorian, if they would let me, with things that you and I have to be grateful for. However, they limit the words I get per issue and hopefully by now you get the picture. We all have a lot to be grateful for; in fact, we have more than we often realize worth giving thank for. I understand how easy it can be to overlook the simple things and take them from granted. Additionally, I understand how this time of the semester makes it particularly difficult to remain appreciative of everything we have in life – the often times over bearing demands of school and planning for our future. But it is important we remember how to take a step back and see all the blessings we’ve been given.

So, this Thanksgiving continue to be grateful for your family, friends, and education, but remember there is so much more to be grateful for. Be grateful for the fact that you have a roof over your head because there are millions of people that do not. Be grateful for the food on the table, even if you do not like the food because there are millions going hungry everyday around the world. And be grateful that you can read this article, so you can walk away and be appreciative for all the wonderful things and people in your life.

USA Today recently reported that the amount of student loans taken last year crossed the $100 billion mark for the first time. The total loans outstanding will exceed $1 trillion for the first time during this year. Clearly, Americans now owe more on student loans, on mortgages and on credit cards, among others, than in any other time in history. The student loans’ figures don’t portray a positive image to the world and to the new generation. It’s not just poor financial planning but also the high unemployment rate that has led students to default. The rising tuition costs and the importance of having a college degree to get a good job put students in a vicious circle that’s hard to escape from.

The high costs of college and the growing student debts have garnered the highest priority by Occupy Wall Street and related protests across the country. Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidates are hell-bent on making this issue one of their primary agendas, which they should. But, with no student loans at all, they should understand that the number of students going to college would exponentially decrease and this would affect the education of this country.   There goes the American dominance and leadership.

Student debt is a growing problem that requires tough reforms to contain its potential impacts. In fact, President Obama is to announce new programs Wednesday to ease the loan burdens of students and graduates. Meanwhile, Loras has a very low Cohort Default Rate — just 2.3 percent — while the national average hovers around 8.8 percent. But in the next few years, as the loans and credits become the political focus of the country’s leaders, their policies are going to determine the future of about 300 Duhawks and millions of college students that graduate every year. Meanwhile, working hard while carrying a full load in college and trying to maintain good grades would be beneficial in avoiding being defaulters. Good luck Duhawks!

-Editorial Staff

For many incoming college students, ACT scores and their high school grade-point-averages (GPAs) are the difference between getting a scholarship or being accepted by the college of their choice versus going to community college. They might the most important number in a student’s life — until classes start.

So, how does Loras compares to other schools in our area?

According to admissions’ offices at six schools, including Loras, the average ACT scores for incoming students for the 2010-11 school year at those six colleges all were within roughly 2 points of each other (see charts below).

Loras’ first-year students in 2010 carried an average ACT score of just under 24. Incoming students at Coe College, Iowa State University and the University of Iowa each reported ACT average scores of nearly 25 — nearly a point higher than Loras’ 2010 first-years.

But Loras’ ACT average is more than a point higher than the averages at Clarke University and at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (UW-P).

Meanwhile, the average GPAs for the six colleges are very close to each other, all within three-tenths of a percentage point.

Loras’ first-years in 2010 carry an average GPA of 3.48, which is marginally lower than the average GPAs at Coe, Iowa and Iowa State. But Loras’ GPA was higher than Clarke’s (3.33 average), while UW-P said it does not request information regarding students’ high school GPA.

ACT comparison

GPA comparison

DUBUQUE, IOWA – After watching Cornell lose last week to the Simpson Storm, the Loras College Duhawks had successfully earned the regular season Iowa Conference Championship, guaranteeing them #1 seed in the tournament and a first round bye.

The only thing left in their way were the Cornell Rams (17-16, 6-2), but the Rams came into Dubuque and rattled the cage of the Duhawks.

Loras would come out firing, taking the first set 25-21, behind the kills of senior Kate Russell (14), sophomores Regan Riley (13), and Brittney Westermeyer (10). But after making a few substitutions in the second set in honor of Senior Night, the Rams came firing back, and before the Duhawks could spread their wings, Cornell had taken the second set 25-18.

“I think we didn’t step up when we needed to. We allowed them take charge offensively, our defense backed off, we didn’t play good position defense at times in that first set,” said Coach Kehe.

Standouts for Cornell included freshmen Kathleen O’Connor, who contributed 16 kills throughout the 5 set battle and junior Kirtley Hitt, who added 13 kills.

In the third set, Loras would regain the set advantage with a score of 25-19. Out of the 42 sets on the night for the Duhawks, 38 of them would belong to junior Julie Rogers. Her consistency was what played a key role in the Duhawks staying close with the Rams.

One thing that was odd to see was the large number of unforced errors from the Duhawks. Coach Kehe said, “We were playing tight, and playing not to lose, and whenever you do that, you tend to make some unforced errors and silly mistakes that normally don’t happen.”

The fourth set ended with a score of 25-15 in favor of Cornell, which would push the match to the 5th set. Loras went toe-to-toe with the Wartburg Knights earlier in the season, taking that match to a 5th set as well, but fate would not repeat itself as the Duhawks dropped the deciding final set by a score of 15-13.

The loss puts Loras at a 7-1 record in the IIAC, but does not hurt them in their seeding for this weekend’s tournament, also being hosted at Loras. But regardless, Loras would have much rather preferred to finish their season undefeated in the conference.

As for this weekend, Coach Kehe hopes the loss will spark the team and get them to refocus and come prepared for the weekend. “It brings that realization that they have to step on the floor with a sense of urgency every play. You can’t just show up.”

The Duhawks will be hosting the IIAC Tournament this weekend at the Athletic and Wellness Center, with the first matches kicking off late Friday afternoon. MyDuhawk.com will be providing live coverage of every game of the tournament, so make sure to check back.

Audio Interview with Coach Kehe

Game Statistics
Courtesy of Duhawks.com

Loras College received quite a treat Wednesday during common time. During that time, satellite voting was in operation in there ACC, just outside the ballroom.

Satellite voting is a way to reach out to voters. Voters who utilize them are considered absentee voters. An absentee ballot is a vote from someone that wishes to vote, but does not/cannot vote at an official polling station.

There are two possible ways satellite voting stations are determined. One, if the City Auditor chooses the site. Or, secondly, if there is a petition filed on behalf of the voting site. The main determination for satellite voting is the location; nothing else regarding the satellite voting site is taken into account.

Loras petitioned to have the voting on campus, but the auditor did not approve the site. However, Loras was allowed two hours of polling.

Satellite voting stations do count towards the November elections, and therefore, have strict rules regarding their execution.

An official poll generally must be open for at least six hours for at least one day. And satellite voting stations may not begin the voting process 40 days before the election.

While the Loras satellite vote didn’t span the required time frame, the ballots cast were official.

Jim Naprstek | My Duhawk

PELLA, IOWA – Coming off an impressive 4-0 record in the Rhodes College Tournament last week, the Duhawks were ready to take on the Central College Dutch, Wednesday night in Pella, Iowa.

Loras came out firing and took control of the first two sets and won them by scores of 25-22 and 25-20. Senior Kate Russell provided 13 kills, most of which were set up by junior Julie Rogers, who finished with 34 assists.

The Dutch were not going to go down easy though, and came out with an edge of their own. Loras was forced to play Central’s game for most of the set, until they were able to pull even.

“We just mentally got back in the game. They’re a good team, and they’re going to score their points, but we need to regroup on our side and stay aggressive,” said Russell.

Many times throughout the night, the Dutch and Duhawks held long, extended rallies, with the victor taking the momentum for the next few points.

“When we didn’t get the point and momentum off of a rally, we came right back and were fighting to get that next point. It’s all about how you respond to those kinds of plays,” said senior libero Morgan Murphy

“Volleyball is all about momentum. We all had a drive that we were going to win the rally and we were willing to give our all to get that point,” contributed Russell.

With their backs to the wall, the Duhawks knew it was go time. Coach Kehe, called a timeout and got the girls back on the same page. Following that timeout, sophomore Regan Riley guided the Duhawks back into control of the set with accurate serves, and the Duhawks would not look back, winning the third set 25-23.

The win brings Loras to 6-0 in the conference, and coaches and players alike are beginning to see a resemblance between this years team, and the team of 2008, who won the IIAC title.

“Everyone on this team has a burning desire to win, and that’s the same feeling I had two years ago,” said Murphy.

The Duhawks will take on William Penn this Friday in the Athletic and Wellness Center. Come out and support the number one team in the conference as they head into the final stretch of their season.

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Photo Gallery

The Loras College wind ensemble and jazz band put on a concert Tuesday night in the Fieldhouse, with great results.

The concert may mark a turning point for the band program, as the concert was a huge success, both in audience and participation.

The wind ensemble has been boasting large participation numbers this semester. Twenty new first-year students and a few upperclassmen joined in the fall, almost doubling the ensemble’s numbers from last year’s fall semester. Dr. Glenn Pohland, the band director, says it’s great to see all the people in the bands.

“We have gotten some very talented students to participate in the ensembles and that is raising the level of musicianship of the entire ensemble,” said Pohland.

Not only does the larger number of participants speak volumes for the direction the music program is going, but it also shows the amount of musical talent at Loras College.

One of the talented is John Tyler, a senior music education major at Loras. He directed one of the pieces for the concert, and it was a great success.

“It is enjoyable to share my passion with (the band), plus I enjoy making music with all of the great musicians here at Loras,” said Tyler. “I would also like to thank all of the band members for how well they played for Dr. Pohland and me last night. If it was not for them the concert would have not have gone as well (as it did).”

Pohland says other music education majors will get their turn on the podium as well.

Pohland, like Tyler, said the great night of music would not have been possible without the wholehearted effort of the band in rehearsals, especially given the difficulty of the music that was played.

“I am extremely proud of the musical strides we are making this year and I sense that the students are excited about playing and want to accomplish great things. I can put difficult music in front of them and they seem eager to take on those challenges.”

Yet, Pohland has aspirations of building the Loras College band into something even greater. He wants to even bigger numbers next year.

“I would like to have 60-70 students in the wind ensemble next year,” he said. “When we present concerts like (Tuesday’s) I hope the audience goes out saying good things that lead others to not only attend a future concert, but encourage others to participate with us.”

But his ideas don’t stop there.

Eventually, Pohland would love to see a performance hall built for musical concerts. He says the Fieldhouse is an ok venue, but for certain songs, the acoustics just aren’t accommodating. The Fieldhouse also has large lights that give off a constant buzz, which sometimes gets in the way of a purely musical sound.

In under two years, Pohland has helped resurrect the Loras band department, and he’s far from done. His dreams are big, but the way things are going, they just might come true.

Coming off three tough loses at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh tournament, the volleyball team rebounded with a big win over Iowa Conference rival Wartburg last Wednesday.
With Wartburg usually near the top of the conference standings, the Duhawks’ 3-2 road win over the Knights could be pivotal. With that win and Tuesday’s win over Buena Vista, Loras now is 4-0, in the conference.
“We executed our game plan very well and were able to recover from mistakes much quicker than we had the previous weekend,” said Coach Teresa Kehe. “It was a hard-fought match on both sides of the net that included some great plays from both teams.”
The team were coming off a 1-3 record at UW-Oshkosh, but the Duhawks used it as extra motivation when playing Wartburg.
“During the week the team refocused for the match and was really competitive during the week’s practices,” Kehe said. “We showed we wanted to step it up against Wartburg.”
Not only was the team preparing to take down Wartburg during the week, but Kehe herself was preparing off the court as well.
“I’ve just been preparing and watching film,” said Kehe. “What we’ve been analyzing will hopefully exploit their weaknesses, which we hope to capitalize on.”
Despite Loras’ preparation, Wartburg seldom goes down without a fight, especially on its home court. The Knights even drew first blood by winning the first set, 25-23. The Duhawks responded by winning the next two sets, but Wartburg won the fourth set to force a tie-breaker. Loras prevailed in a 15-12 nail-biting fifth set.
Sophomores Regan Riley and Brittney Westermeyer led Loras with 15 kills apiece in the match, while senior Kate Russell added 12 kills. Kehe also praised senior Julianne Lord and junior Kaity Frost for their overall performances.
On Tuesday, the team played another conference team, Buena Vista. The team swept Buena Vista in straight sets to remain undefeated in the conference.
The Duhawks will be hosting the Border Battle Tournament this weekend. They will play host to Bethel University, Saint Mary’s University, St. Catherine University and Augsburg College.
“Oshkosh was a tough tourney, but I think that has put much more motivation behind us to be mentally prepared,” said Kehe.

Fresh off a four-match sweep at a tournament at the University of Dubuque, the volleyball team finally bit off more than it could chew.
This past weekend, Loras battled four tough teams at a tournament at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The Duhawk, who came into the tournament boasting a 9-1 record, won one of their four matches in Oshkosh.
Coach Theresa Kehe knew it would be tough competition in Oshkosh, but she said the team is riding high from its stellar play at the River City Classic at UD a week earlier.
The wins at the River City Tournament will hopefully prove to be a confidence booster as we head to a tough part of our schedule,” Kehe said.
Kehe primarily was referring to the Iowa Conference regular season. Before the weekend tournament in Oshkosh, Loras defeated conference foe Simpson, bringing its record to 2-0 in the league.
So, have there been any surprises thus far this year with the team’s success? The Duhawks are playing under a new offense, which often means a few bumps in the road early in the season. But the Duhawks have adjusting well.
“We are running a 6-2 offense, which is different than we have run in the past,” Kehe said. “We have two exceptional setters in (juniors) Julie Rogers and Kaity Frost, and we want to make sure we utilize both of their strengths,” said Kehe. “We have been working diligently on creating a faster offense and feel that we have the players to execute the skills to do it.”
The team does look to rebound in the next week against Wartburg and Buena Vista. For Kehe, is just  half the battle.
“I think another key element is that we are working to maintain a work ethic that helps us continue to improve as the season progresses,” Kehe said. “We know that we cannot become complacent, so we are making a conscious effort to improve our communication and intensity no matter what the drill or who the competition is.”
The Duhawks will host Buena Vista on Tuesday,. The varsity match is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the AWC.